An elderly couple who had no landline for several days have obtained compensation from BT.

William Dawson, 84, and his wife June, 76, of South Denton, Newcastle, told me how the line went dead after work was done on their broadband connection.

June asked for my help because she was forced to use a mobile and was worried about big bills while BT engineers tried to carry out repairs.

She said: “I rely on the line because William is ill. BT have admitted it was their error but are in no hurry to get it sorted.”

I asked BT what was happening and was told June had been reconnected.

A spokeswoman said: “Mrs Dawson is back up and running and a goodwill gesture refund of one month’s line rental was applied.

“The case handler also arranged for paperwork to be sent should Mrs Dawson wish to claim for a large mobile bill she was expecting as a result of the delay. We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused.”